Alluabid (Ah-llu-a-bid)
Settled in 467, the largest port of Brandjorden and the jewel of the desert, Alluabid is a free, trading city with a mighty reputation all around the world, known for its riches and opulence.
History
For millennia Brandjorden was inhabited by many tribes and wandering peoples, who traveled from one oasis to another as a means to survive the harsh deserts of the southern continent. From the very beginning, such nomads learned to use the stars as a guide to move through the endless dunes of their land. However, Brandjorden wasn't wholly devoid of settlements, for many villages and small towns existed by the coast, where they could subsist out of fishing and being capable of trading with maritime nations.
The desert people, or Ashalli, as they called themselves, were always a hardy, ambitious, and rather creative folk; they have a taste for strong spices and incense, with a particular knack for making coin whenever they can. Enjoying fine, brightly coloured silks, gems and gold, the Ashalli were, from the start, always seen as odd and exotic in the eyes of the Människarians, who were more reserved and distrusting. And so, for many centuries the status quo in Brandjorden changed very little, sultans and rich merchants would rise to power, only to be defeated a few years or decades later by another, perhaps more powerful, or lucky, ambitious general.
However, it is said that around the year 300, an incredibly rich merchant and his herding community had grown to such a large extent that wherever they went, oases were drunk dry and turned bare; his wealth so large that over a hundred camels were needed to carry it all, and over a thousand spears to watch over the treasure alone, supposedly the richest man to have ever lived¹. It didn't matter how many mouths there had to be fed in his clan, they would always manage to find another oasis or lush patch of land. When asked how he could be so lucky, he answered - I know not what lies behind this or that dune, my eyes can only gaze as far as the other man, yet, it is not forward that I look, but up to the stars, they are my guide'.
One day, while guiding his clan, the merchant spotted a yellow comet in the sky - a sign from the gods to follow. He and his people crossed the desert, finding many oases, one more lush and ripe with fruit than the previous. Eventually, they reached the coast and, atop a hill, the merchant gazed at the horizon, an eagle landed on his shoulder, and so he knew his wandering had come to an end, for there he would build his city, which he named Alluabid².
'There is no need for the Ashalii to keep wandering, searching for oases, we shall be the jewel of the desert.'1 - In 998, the Plutarch of Sarusa, Osteinikos Skleros †, in a mocking gesture to the heritage of Alluabid gathered a herd of three hundred horses and pilled them to the limit with nothing but gold coins. Then, supposedly, he ushered his steward to head to the market and buy him a donkey, for he had run out of horses, but not of gold.
- 2 - Alluabid derives from Allua, a constellation that stands out in the sky, pointing north. Thus, by heading north, one would always reach Allua's city. This is an interesting difference between Manniskarians and Brandjordians: while the former always prefer to head south, the latter go north.
